


Serendipity

by halcyonwhispers



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bigotry & Prejudice, Crushes, Discrimination, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid AU, Hybrids, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Nonsexual Nudity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-08 06:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10380924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyonwhispers/pseuds/halcyonwhispers
Summary: Because of his antisocial tendencies as a book editor, Taeyong's friends urge him to adopt a hybrid- a very pretty and gentle cat.Having a pet was supposed to be easy, yet add love and it turns out to be anything but that.





	1. softness

**Author's Note:**

> ser·en·dip·i·ty  
> serənˈdipədē  
> noun  
> the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
> 
> -
> 
> （*´▽｀*）

“I’m not sure about a cat, Jaehyun.” Taeyong glanced around the room as they passed by the K9 section of the adoption center. “I’ve always been more of a dog person,” he admitted. They came to a halt in front of a colorful pink door with an image of fuzzy cat-like ears and whiskers. Jaehyun on the other hand, laughed, bringing up his keys from his apron pocket to unlock the door.

“But think about it Taeyong. If you’re going to be stuck in your apartment all day, are you going to have time to take care of a dog properly?”

Taeyong twisted his lips to the side. He had a point about that. Being a good freelance editor had its pros and cons. But because of his perfectionism, Taeyong tended to not stop on a project until it was flawless. He could easily spend three weeks without leaving his home.

It wasn’t too bad. He could get groceries delivered or order to-go when he felt lazy. He had an awesome internet connection too, so there was always skype to talk to his clients or family and friends. Which was probably why his friends wanted Taeyong to interact with the real world more.

They all came to the same conclusion- a hybrid. No matter how much Taeyong explained that he wasn’t interested in getting one, they still insisted.

Hybrids were complicated for him. 

He looked away as Jaehyun fumbled with the numerous keys on the chain. His eyes caught onto a movement from behind one of the rooms in this wing. He gazed into the large window where a couple cuddled with a puppy. The little hybrid couldn’t have been any older than 5 years.

He ended up smiling as the pup bumped into the legs of one of the women. Her mouth opened and Taeyong could imagine the laughter from it. The puppy seemed pleased with it and giggled. He stretched out his cubby little hands, curled brown tail peeking up from the slit in his jumpsuit.  

“Aha!” Jaehyun exclaimed, jerking the right key into the lock.

Taeyong sighed but stepped into the hallway. Right away there was a difference in the air. It became much more quiet; the echoes of gleeful growls and excited voices silenced by soft murmurs and low purrs. “You don’t want a kitten, Taeyong. The little ones are always hard to take care of.” Jaehyun kept walking without looking back at him. He looked like he was plotting something with that little grin. He often shared that look with Doyoung. Who knew rabbits could be so mischievous?

“Oh yeah,” Taeyong muttered, “then what do I want, Jaehyun?”

He slipped his hands into his jeans’ pockets, hurrying to keep up. He only hand enough time to glance into the passing rooms. All the cat hybrids glanced over at him with lazy curiosity. None of them bothered to get up from their beds, though some of them did say a hello as he passed.

“Oh come on, you don’t have to sound like we’re punishing you.” Jaehyun finally slowed down a little. They turned a corner. His voice tilted on exhaustion, as if they’ve had this conversation one too many times. Rightly so because they _have_ _had_ this conversation too many times. “It’s not healthy to stay all cooped up the way you do, Taeyong.”

Taeyong made a noise but didn’t reply. Jaehyun and Taeil had already made that clear enough.  
“Hybrids are just so…weird. They _look_ human but they’re not.” They’re were all stronger than humans, senses sharper than any human being’s, and there was always something off about their eyes no matter what animal’s genes laid in their DNA.

Jaehyun rolled his own eyes at him. “And I’m not being one of those gross hybrid haters.”

His companion let out a deep sigh. “I know you’re not. But weird? Do you think Yuta is weird? Or Doyoung?” Jaehyn gaze watched him especially careful at Doyoung’s name.

Taeyong tried not to let his hesitation show on his face. “No.” He liked Yuta and Doyoung. He really did. Jaehyun had found Doyoung when they were both little. Taeyoung could almost hear Jaehyun sobbing to his mother, begging to let him keep the skinny, dirty rabbit boy. Then when Taeil came back from studying abroad in Japan with Yuta in tow, Taeyong found the shiba inu’s loud antics almost endearing.

But that didn’t mean Yuta couldn’t easily break his neck and Doyoung was more than strong enough to punch him straight into a coma. It wasn’t wrong to feel at least a tiny bit nervous around them, was it? It was a common feeling even though people loved to keep hybrids as pets.

Nonetheless, Jaehyun was an odd one when it came to the topic, so Taeyong simply repeated his answer. “Though… Doyoung’s pretty weird for letting you sleep in the same bed as him…” Taeyong said in a pondering tone. He looked away, pretending to look confused.

It did the trick. Jaehyun laughed and playfully pushed him.

“Oh! Here he is.” Jaehyun stopped short before the room’s window. “Taeyong,” Jaehyun turned towards him, blocking his view altogether. “I wanna tell you some stuff before you meet Winwin.”

“Win…win?” He supposed he’s heard weirder names. “Did he come with that name?” Taeyong tried peering over his shoulder but Jaehyun snapped his fingers.

“I’m getting to that,” he said. “So…about…hmm… 6 month ago, someone just left him in front of the doors. No note, no collar, or chip. Usually when people leave us their hybrids, they at least the damn decency to come in, but not with him.” Jaehyun shoved his hands into the large apron pocket. Taeyong heard the jingling of the keys. “He’s healthy and really pretty. He’s a purebred to boot, so hey, I thought he’d get adopted in no time and he did but…”

“But. There’s already a but with these sorta things.”

Jaehyun sighed. “After two weeks, the first family returned him, saying something about how he was too shy. They have three kids and they wanted someone to play and talk with them, and he wasn’t doing that. So ok, that happens every now and then, I get it. Fine. Whatever. But then the couple after them…. Argh.” 

His normally gummy smile twisted into an extremely pissed off scowl. “They said he was stupid. He’s not stupid at all! He’s really, really smart!”

Taeyong hummed, curious now. There were a lot of people who thought all hybrids were below human intelligence. He, however, knew that was a load of bullshit.

He looked around Jaehyun, spying a figure.

Jaehyun brought up one of his hand rub his brow. “Which brings me to my next point.” He finally stepped back, allowing Taeyong to look into the cat’s room.

“Oh.”

Jaehyun wasn’t lying about how pretty he was.

The cat hybrid laid next to the bed, right where the sunlight came in from the opposite window in the room. A long fluff of a dark tail swayed side to side in a slow manner. From this side, Taeyong could see the full curve of his lips and the elegant arch of his brow. His black hair was glossy as can be, shining in the sunbeams. The two ears on his head twitched in their direction, an indication that he knew someone was watching, but still he kept his eyes glued onto the TV screen.

Before he knew it, Taeyong was smiling at how he buried his face deeper into his arms.

“I don’t think he understands Korean.” Taeyong looked at Jaehyun in surprise.

“Like, at all?”

He rubbed his chin, thinking. “Well…Winwin’s learned a little more than when he came in. Before he only knew ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘please’, but now he can kinda follow when someone’s talking to him. Though he still can’t speak it every well. That’s kinda why I named him Winwin. Its temporary until he can tell me what he wants to be called.” Taeyong looked back at Winwin behind the glass. There it was again. Jaehyun and that oddity to treat hybrids like people. It just left Taeyong confused.

“I figured it out after the couple returned him. There a several others, but there was always something: he couldn’t clean properly, couldn’t listen, couldn’t talk normally, blah blah blah.”

Taeyong chewed on his cheek. All of this was definitely tugging at his heartstrings. But owning a hybrid… He hasn’t had once since he was a kid… Since…

“One of them called him spoiled from his last owner, but I think he was just _really_ pampered,” Jaehyun went on, bringing him out of his thoughts.

His hesitation must have finally showed itself because Jaehyun quickly said, “But! But he’s a quick learner! He can read at a first grade level now! And he’s learning how to cook tteokbokki! Kinda. Sorta? He hasn’t burned it black in a long time.”

Taeyong opened and closed his mouth. “I don’t know, Jaehyun,” he murmured. He eyed the name plaque next to the door. It was handwritten, the words sloppy and barely legible behind the plastic sleeve.

I LOV ISECREM

I AMM 22 YEAR OLD

I WANT HOME

His heart did a flip.

“I would take him myself, but I can’t afford it. I’m barely keeping Doyoung clothed and feed since he’s not allowed to work. Then Taeil’s got his hands full with Yuta too… And well…” Jaehyun’s voice dipped. He glanced over to him. “At least talk to him, Tae. He’s so special. He just needs someone to give him a chance.”

Taeyong sighed like the world dragged itself out of his lungs. “Do I just…walk in?” He pointed weakly to the door.

Jaehyun laughed loudly. It was a booming sound that exploded in the hallway.

“Don’t pee yourself, I just want to talk to him.” Taeyong sniffed as he opened the door and stepped in.

At once, Winwin sat up, ears standing up at full attention. His eyes popped open and stared at him front the ground. Taeyong could see his tail still behind him. He cleared his throat, feeling awkward. A glance at Jaehyun didn’t help him at all. The man was already back on the other side of the window. He gave Taeyong a shit-eating grin and a thumbs up.

His cheeks burned as he glanced around the room. Clean. That’s good sign. There was the bed in the corner with a pile of at least twenty blankets on it and a dozen pillows. A little desk with children’s book sat next to what Taeyong thought lead to the bathroom.

“H-hello.” Taeyong snapped his eyes back to where Winwin sat on the ground. The hybrid said the words with a thick accent like he had a mouthful of cotton. He was nervous, he thought by the way Winwin bunched up the helm of his dull gray sweater.

Taeyong noticed right away how his nails looked normal. All cats, and most hybrids of that matter, had claws of some sort, but Winwin’s fingernails looked human.

He recalled what Jaehyun said about being pampered. So he was declawed. A surgery like that was a delicate procedure that completely cut out the long sharp claws and replaced them with a human-like fakes that don’t grow at all. It was completely cosmetic and _expensive_. Usually for housecats with wealthy owners…

Yet it was the way his hands looked soft that caught Taeyong’s eye. Slender fingers curled and twisted the fabric of his sweater. Taeyong would bet that his hands were bigger than his own.

“Hello?” Winwin repeated, voice clear.

Taeyong yanked his eyes from his hands. “H-hey,” his voice cracked. When did he mouth get dry? When was the last time he voice _cracked_?

Winwin covered his mouth before the room filled up with bell-like giggles. The sound was memorizing. Taeyong stared, his throat tightening. He felt embarrassed and shy and awkward. Yet the weirdest thing about it was that it didn’t feel bad.

All too soon the giggles were cut off.

“S-sorry. No laugh,” Winwin rushed to say in a horrified voice. He bowed his head. Taeyong could feel his own splatter of red on his cheeks.

He swallowed thickly. “No! Its fine! It’s ok. Ok?” Winwin looked at up at him, maybe a dash of confusion in his face. That’s when Taeyong realized he was still standing. He sat down where he stood, at least a couple feet between them. “It’s ok,” he said slowly. Winwin watched him with such curiosity that it made Taeyong wonder if anyone ever treated him better than a toy.

He knew that most people loved hybrids just for the fun of it, but his parents raised him with some sort of manners. Human or not, hybrids deserved to be treated with respect.

Pointing a finger at himself, he said, “Taeyong. Tae-yong.”

Winwin’s lips formed a small _o_ , nodding eagerly. “Taeyong…hyung?” Taeyong raised his brows at the word, but nodded, smiling.

“Good job!”

Winwin nodded back, proud of himself. His tail started to flicker to life in the back. He held up a hand and rested it on his chest. He glanced at Jaehyun and then back at him. “My name Sicheng.” He said the first two words as if they were branded onto his tongue, it was the last word that came out almost shyly.

“Sicheng?” The name tasted sweet in his mouth even if it left him confused.

“Sicheng?!” Jaehyun cried out from behind the window. He stormed in a second later, eyes blown wide. “Sicheng?! Is that your real name? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Winwin- Sicheng- looked panic. “Always Winwin, so always Winwin!” He waved his arms around, looking frustrated.

Taeyong’s smile broke out into a grin. “Jaehyun did you even ask him his name, or did you just assume he couldn’t tell you?” Jaehyun’s stutter and baffled look was all he needed to know.

The laughter erupted from his stomach until he was laying on the floor, clutching his stomach. When he managed to calm down and wipe the tears from his eyes, Sicheng looked around the room, lost. The remaining giggles died on his lips, but his smile stayed plastered on.

Sicheng.

Sicheng.

Sicheng.

It was a nice name.

Maybe having a pet won’t be so bad.

“Jaehyun?”

“What?” He pouted, shaking his head at Sicheng.

Taeyong stood up and brushed off his pants. “Where do I sign?”

 

.

 

“Initials here and here. Please sign next to all the highlighted Xs, sir.”

Taeyong adjusted his glasses. “Right.” He scanned over the page and did just that. The older woman, Mina, who sat across him looked too friendly, if not a tad bit fake.

He still did as he was told and handed her the packet of papers as soon as he was done. She nodded, flipping through each of the pages. “Everything looks to be in order.” He smiled, taking off his lenses. She got up to the office door and opened it.

“Come in _Sicheng_.” Mina cleared her throat and pushed back messy strands of graying hair. Sicheng peered into the room slowly, ears low. At spotting Taeyong, he smiled nervously and stepped in. He automatically wondered next to the chair the woman left. “You know you can change his name anytime you want.” She closed the door and moved back to sit down.

Taeyong knew that, but he could still remember how happy Sicheng looked at last week when he introduced himself. “No, it’s fine.” He smiled tightly.

She beamed back at him. “Well then, only one last thing.” Taeyong frowned in confusion as she turned to Sicheng. “You can start,” she waved her hand.

Taeyong’s confusion grew to shock when Sichend stripped his sweater, leaving him bare chested. He carefully laid the clothing on the table and started to take off his shoes. Taeyong found his voice the moment he saw his hands move to remove his sweatpants.

“Wait!” Sicheng froze at the sound of his voice. Mina looked just as surprised at his outburst. “Why is he talking off his clothes?” he demanded. What the hell kinda adoption center was this? Why the fuck was Jaehyun working here?

Mina cleared her throat. “Sir, it is for you to see that we are giving him to you as he is, and any additional physical problems he may later have will no longer be a concern of ours.” Taeyong’s brows drew together. “This is a step in the process sir, as with all hybrid adoptions.”

His ears dimmed out her voice, instead focusing at how causal Sicheng did that. Just take away the ears, tail, and he would look human. No human should have to strip down-

But Sicheng wasn’t human was he?

Taeyong brushed his hand through his dark hair. “Do we have to do this?”

She pursed her lips, but shook her end.

As Sicheng redressed himself, Mina cleared her throat again. Did she have a tree branch stuck in there? She pulled out some papers from a folder. Taeyong eyed it. Where did that come from? “This is his medical record. Perfect bill of health. No diseases external or otherwise.

So if you want to help him out with any future heats, you can do so without any consequences. But please don’t forget to check with a vet after each heat cycle.”

Taeyong nodded awkwardly, standing up along with her.

Sicheng was already standing by the door. He opened it for him and followed suit.

“Thank you for your business!” Taeyong suppressed his shiver. 


	2. dawning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong tries to adjust to Sicheng 
> 
> keyword: tries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who left a comment and kudos!! its really cause of all bc of you guys that i kno others actually like this ^^

Taeyong adjusted the phone against his cheek and shoulder. His hands worked to chop the vegetables for the bulgogi as Jaehyun said, “He’s really cute isn’t he? Tell me he’s not.” He rolled his eyes, smiling despite of himself. A glance at the person in question answered Jaehyun’s inquiry.

From the kitchen, Taeyong had a perfect view of where Sicheng sat by the coffee table in the middle of his tiny living room. He had Taeyong’s iPad in his lap, the sounds of the Doulingo app echoing in the air. He looked so focused and serious as he listened to the words in Korean.

Taeyong paused in his cutting, going to stare full out, a smile on his face. Any worries he had about Sicheng not liking it here disappeared the hybrid stepped into his apartment yesterday. His expression was a mixture of curiosity, wonderment, and a little scared, but he seemed to relax after Taeyong gave him the iPad.

Sicheng left the adoption center with nothing but a little black bag with an extra change of sweats and half a dozen used children’s books. The fact that Sicheng cared enough to bring the worn books with him was enough to tell Taeyong that he wanted to learn.

“Heeeey! Taeyong?” Taeyong almost jumped at Jaehyun’s voice in his ear. “You’re staring at him, aren’t you?” He could practically see him smirking. Taeyong wrinkled his nose, straightening up and casting his eyes on the cutting board.

He started up chopping again. “Shut up, I was busy cooking. You know that thing with food you do in the kitchen?” He put down the knife and picked up the board to add it to the boiling pot on the stove.

“Mmhmm… I can think of better things to do in the kitchen…” he said suggestively.

Taeyong almost dropped the wooden board into the water. “Please tell me you’re joking.” He heard Jaehyun cackle. “Jaehyun!” He scowled. “That’s gross as fuck.”

“Aw Taeyong, don’t be such a virgin. Don’t knock it until you try it.”

“I’m hanging up.”

Jaehyun let out gasp. “Wait! No!”

“Bye.”

“You haven’t told me how Sich-” Taeyong put the phone of the counter, sighing. He’ll text him later. Until then… He washed his hands and walked over to Sicheng. His head tilted up at Taeyong as he sat down on the couch.

“Hello hyung,” Sicheng smiled up at him.

The blood rushed up to his cheeks because of that smile. “Do you like the app?” Taeyong said in a hurry, pointing to the iPad in his lap.

Sicheng’s ears twitched and he followed his finger to the device and quickly nodded. “Like, like!” He nodded vigorously.

“Hahaha, good!” As if on its own, Taeyong’s hand ruffled his hair, landing right in between his ears. It felt just as silky as it looked.

Sicheng froze under his touch for a mere moment, but in that second, Taeyong cursed at himself. Touching him that suddenly would make him freak out. Yet as he started to yank back, Sicheng pushed up into him, a low humming noise coming from his chest. Taeyong’s mouth fell open at the realizing it wasn’t humming, but _purring_.

His chest tightened at the sound. It sounded just as pretty as him, deep and gentle. He must be touch starved from the lack of proper attention at the center.

When Taeyong’s hand stopped his caress on his head, Sicheng’s purr cut itself off suddenly. “Ah…sorry, sorry!” Sicheng blushed, seemingly horrified at his actions. He clutched the iPad to his chest and started to crawl away from Taeyong as fast as he could. He made it behind the bookshelf, squeezing himself surprisingly easily into the crook.

Taeyong opened his mouth to say it wasn’t a problem, but Sicheng let out a mortified scream. His mouth closed with a snap. Standing up and peeking behind the bookshelf had Taeyong almost laughing. Sicheng was all curled up behind it.

He crouched down next to him, gently reaching his hand to him. “It’s ok if it felt good, Sicheng.” Yet the other whimpered and turned away. Taeyong nervously pulled back, glancing around to find something to coax him out. His eyes strayed back to him. There were specks of dust in his black hair and on the dark gray sweats he wore.

Hmm… When Sicheng arrived yesterday, Taeyong had mostly everything and quickly settled him in the spare bedroom. With clean sheets on the bed and empty drawers waiting to be filled, he thought it would show him that this would be his home. His last home. However, it just occurred to him that he hadn’t really bought him anything.

“Hey Sicheng,” he practically whispered. Taeyong saw him peek up at him a little. “Do you want to go to the mall? New clothes?” He pulled lightly on the collar of his white shirt. Sicheng finally looked up at him.

His big eyes were shiny, a pout set on his mouth. “Clothes?” Taeyong nodded and inwardly cheered when Sicheng crawled back out.

The hybrid patted on the back of his pants, timidly keeping his eyes downcast. The tension left Taeyong’s shoulders. “Ok, let’s get going!” He motioned to followed him out the door.

 He only rushed back inside to turn off the stove.

 

.

 

The ride to the mall was still. Sicheng stayed mostly silent, a thing Taeyong chalked up to whatever embarrassment remained from the purring.

Taeyong ran his tongue over his front teeth. What does he even talk to him about? Yuta and Doyoung were natural chatterboxes who never stopped, so at least with them there was always something to talk about.

He gripped the steering wheel and frowned. He recalled days where he spent hours upon hours talking to his last hybrid. What did he babble to him? Taeyong’s only explanation was that his child-self was a bigmouth.

They came up to the mall parking lot, and after parking, Taeyong remembered something. “Sicheng, do you want to get ice cream tomorrow?” All at once, Sicheng gasped excitedly. He nodded hard enough to give him whiplash. He laughed. “Did Jaehyun give you ice cream a lot in the adoption center?” he asked, stepping out of the car and pocketing his keys.

Sicheng came up to him and shook his head, smile still blissfully on his face. “No?” Taeyong raised a brow. “Well, we’re gonna have to change that won’t we?” Sicheng giggled and nodded.

“Mistress love ice cream.” Sicheng sighed wistfully. Taeyong looked back at him for a second.

“Your… first owner?” Jaehyun mentioned that they knew nothing about his first owner.

Sicheng nodded, perhaps a little sadly. “Mistress gave me ice cream many time.” He crossed his arms. His voice sounded both tired and soft, like it spent too many times thinking about it.

Taeyong curiously looked at him, about to question it, but stopped short at the sight of the greeter in the of the mall’s doors. The man smiled warmly at them and reached to open the door when he suddenly paused. “Oh, excuse me sir, but no hybrids are allowed inside.” He nodded to Sicheng then to a sign behind him on the glass.

Next to the shadow figures of cigarettes, knives, and regular animals, laid the outline of a humanoid shape with large ears sticking up from his head and a thin curled tail.

Taeyong blinked, a sinking feeling inside his ribcage. He’s never noticed that one sign before. But haven’t Yuta and Taeil been here before? No wait, they always went to the one in the next city over. As a matter of fact so did Jaehyun and Doyoung.

Taeyong felt like an idiot. Thinking back on it, they have never gone to this specific mall as a group before. They haven’t gone to a lot of places as a group. Never had Taeyong thought it was because of _this_.

Taeyong glanced back at Sicheng. He already sensed what was happening, looking away from both of them in shame. “He’s a good boy. I promise you he won’t leave my side or wonder off. He knows to not make trouble. Sicheng can even read so he’ll understand any signs!”

The man peered at Sicheng before looking back at him. “Sir, I understand your cat is very smart, but he’s not allowed into the facilities.”

“Oh my god! What a cutie!”

There was a squeal behind him, and Taeyong turned to find a group of teenage girls cooing over Sicheng. Four of the five made baby talk at him while rubbing his head like a genie’s lamp. The last girl pulled at his tail exclaiming how soft it was. All of this happened with Sicheng standing still as a silent as a mannequin. It looked like he was used to all the attention.

The girl who pulled at his tail looked at up him and elbowed the rest. Soon enough they were all giggling and looking at him.

“He’s yours?” she asked daringly. The remaining girls smothered their laughter.

Taeyong didn’t know why, but the way they asked that felt odd. “Yes.” He forced a smile. They erupted in crowing giggles and rushed past him. The doorman bowed to them slightly and opened the door.

He returned his eyes to Taeyong and obviously faked a smile. “There’s a daycare curtsy of the mall over there.” He nodded off to the right. Taeyong suddenly noticed a doorway all the way at the end of the building.

His shoulders slumped. Yet another thing he failed to notice. “But-” he started.

“Taeyong…” Sicheng whispered next to him followed by a slight pull of his sleeve. “It’s ok. Come.”

Taeyong let him lead him away until his hand fell from his sleeve. Sicheng looked down at his feet as they walked in a silence so suffocating, Taeyong thought the air in his lungs vanished. “I’m sorry,” Sicheng finally uttered. He blushed with shame. The words were said with perfect pronunciation. It seemed Sicheng spoke it often. They stopped in front of the daycare’s doorway.

Air suddenly rushed back into Taeyong’s chest cavity with a rush. Everything felt so tight. “Don’t be s-”

“Hello!”

Looking up, Taeyong was met by the face of a women in a pale yellow smock. Her black hair was tied up in a neat bun on the top of her face. Unlike the older man by the mall’s doors, her face looked open and friendly.

Taeyong nervously licked his lips. “Hello,” he bowed his head.

She smiled and looked at Sicheng before looking back at him. “Checking in?” It sounded like she had a slight accent of some of kind. Taeyong nodded to which she stepped aside and held open the door.

Taeyong muttered a thanks as they walked past her. “First time coming here sir?” she asked from behind.

“Oh… Yes.” Taeyong eyed the room, surprised at its size. There appeared to be five separate rooms at the end, all the windows covered by a back curtain. Two hybrids kept staring at one of the door, but everything one of them made a move, a human man who sat on a next to it would squirt water in their faces. They backed off a little after that with complaint about just want to peek, but the man simply scowled and sat back down, staring them back down.

There were at least a dozen hybrids, mostly dogs and cats, but a couple birds. Taeyong eyed the one closest to the door. She was reading a book on a beanbag, her colorful yellow and white wings tucked behind her back. She delicately turned a page of the book as best as she could with her talons.

“Please fill this out.” His attention came back to the worker now at behind the front desk. She laid a pen onto of the papers.

Sicheng peered over his shoulder as he started to fill out the paperwork. Everything was basic information. Name, phone number, who to call in case of emergencies… Name of hybrid and embedded DNA type… Is he chipped/tagged… Shot records up to date…

At last he came to the end of the third sheet and handed them back to the women. She was handing Sicheng a snack bar of something with a laugh. Sicheng only shyly took it from her and bowed deeply.

“He’s adorable,” she told him with a giggle. She started to type in the information into her computer with lightning speed. She looked at the paper and nodded. “Sicheng? Sicheng, you’re going to have a lot of fun here while papa is away.”

Taeyong almost visibly cringed. “Um, just Taeyong, not….papa, um,” he glanced at her nametag, “Miss Wendy.”

She raised a brow but said nothing. “Of course. It’ll be 30,000 won per hour.”

His mouth fell open. Wendy took one look at his face and pulled up another paper. This time it was pink and laminated. It listed all the things that hybrids did while their owners where out shopping. It ranged from being feed to having their hair done and given toys they could actually take home to keep.

Taeyong swallowed and pulled out his phone to look at the time. He couldn’t take any longer than 2 hours… He could afford this. Pulling out his wallet, he handed her his credit card and realized there was warmth at his side.

Sicheng stood close to him with his ears lowered to his head. His black tail hung limply behind him. Taeyong started to reach for him before his hand fell back. Instead he lightly tapped his shoulder, getting Sicheng’s attention and motioning him to step away from the desk with him.

“It’ll only be for a little bit, Sicheng.” He nodded, but kept his eyes down. Taeyong resisted the urge to hug him. “I promise I’m not leaving you.” Sicheng lifted his gaze, making Taeyong feel like he could just swim in the warmth of his eyes.

Sicheng nodded again and smiled something tiny and hopeful. “I believe you, Taeyong.”

“Sir, payment is complete.” Taeyong looked away from him, wondering why his heart skipped. He approached the desk again and went ahead to sign where Wendy told him on the keypad. “Is he your first?” The question took him off guard. Taeyong almost misspelled his own name.

“Uh?”

She nodded back to Sicheng. Another worker was already nudging him back with her to a pile of pillows where another cat slept on the cotton mountain.

“Oh, um. Not my first hybrid in general. My dad had a dog when I was little.” Taeyong didn’t know why he said that. He never mentioned Chungjae to anyone. “But he is my first cat. I got him recently.” He tiredly smiled and put down the pen. “Thank you, please take care of him.” Taeyong bowed again at her.

She bowed back deeper. “We’ll make sure he’ll want to come back. Have fun shopping.”

Giving one last glance at Sicheng, Taeyong walked out.

 

.

 

Taeyong completely ignored the doorman on his way outside. He hauled through the doorway with four bags of clothes and shoes in each hand, brushing off the man’s farewell. Screw manners. A part of him knew it wasn’t the man’s fault, but he felt better knowing he had a face to get pissed at.

He hurried to his car to drop the things off and almost sprinted back to the daycare entry. Taeyong halted in front of it, taking a deep breath to even out his breathing. Smiling, he opened the door and walked in to find Wendy shuffling papers and typing.

She glanced up and stopped, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

“Hello again!” she called out.

Taeyong smiled back at her. “All done.” His eyes were already looking around the room for Sicheng. They landed in the corner where he laid on his back, a book held in his hands. He was alone and for some reason that made Taeyong frown.

Sicheng was so nice, why hadn’t anyone else come over to make friends with him by now? He was there for two hours already.

“Sicheng!” Wendy called out. Sicheng jumped but at seeing him. He grinned and almost tripped over his long legs to get up. “He was a _perfect_ angel! He’s so well behaved! His old owners really knew how to train him.” Wendy turned back to him. “Though… You probably already know, but he’s really shy.”

Taeyong chewed on his lip, keeping his eyes on Sicheng a little longer. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

“Try introducing him to others to open up a little. Even though he has you, you’re his owner. Hybrids love their owners, but having a friend would get him to be a little more outgoing.” Taeyong bit on his tongue to keep from questioning why owners couldn’t also be a hybrid’s friends, but he knew why and she was right. “Do you know any other people with hybrids?”  

Before Taeyong could reply, Sicheng came over to him and suddenly pushed his cheek against his own. “Missed you,” he purred, almost whined.

Wendy laughed, looking oblivious to Taeyong’s blush and stutter. “Every time the door opened, he looked up to see if it was you. It was really cute.”

Taeyong calmed himself and smiled. “Did you really?” He hesitantly brushed his knuckles against Sicheng’s cheek. The purring stopped and he buried his face in his neck instead. Taeyong took his silence for the answer and grinned.

“Which reminds me,” Wendy brightened up. “Have you gotten him a collar yet?” Taeyong blinked. He completely forgot about that.

He looked at Sicheng’s bare throat, noticing how much it differed from all the other hybrids in the daycare. Everyone else had a tag of some kind to indicate who they belonged to. Taeyong’s brows stitched together in thought.

Sicheng would need a collar. What if he wondered off somehow? He could vaguely remember his father buying Chungjae a black collar when he was a tiny kid. Even though his family dog was well-mannered enough to never run away, Taeyong’s father always made sure he wore it if he left the house.

Every hybrid had a collar when they were outside, well maybe expect Doyoung and Yuta, but both Jaehyun and Taeil were weird about that for some reason. Nonetheless, imaging delicate Sicheng walking in an unfamiliar neighborhood, lost, made Taeyong feel panicked.

He needed a collar.

When he looked back at Wendy, she saw his expression and grinned.

 

.

 

Taeyong noticed Sicheng kept fingering the white collar at his throat. Etched onto it in simple black script said _Lee Sicheng_ followed by his phone number.

When Wendy brought it back from behind the employees’ only door, Taeyong almost had a heart attack at the sight of his surname next to Sicheng’s name.

“Its’s customary my ass,” Taeyong muttered under his breath. He lifted up his spoonful of reheated bulgogi to his lips. Next to him, Sicheng hummed something lightly, one hand toying with his collar and the other lifting up the bowl to finish off his meal.

“Do…” Taeyong could hear how nervous he sounded. He quietly cleared his throat and tried again. “Do you think it?”

Sicheng put down the bowl and smiled. Silently nodding, he touched both hands to the collar. “First, um, necklace,” his fingers moved over the collar, “since Mistress.” Like the last time the title was said out loud, a blanket of melancholy draped over Sicheng’s face.

Taeyong was really starting to wonder who this ‘Mistress’ was, but it was obvious that it would most likely bring on tears. It wasn’t the right time.

So instead Taeyong simply nodded. “I’m glad you like it. You look good in it.”

Sicheng flushed at the compliment and glanced down at his empty bowl.  “Thank you.”

Once again the silence in the air was deafening. Taeyong pushed out his lips as his spoon wove in and out of the half-finished soup.  

 He felt so awkward. Maybe spending all this time alone really messed up his social interacting skills. Argh, that’s annoying. But isn’t this the purpose of adopting Sicheng? To have someone to spend time with. Taeyong drew his brows together in thought. But didn’t Sicheng get a choice in that.

The whole adopting thing was a little odd now that he thought more about it. Sicheng didn’t get a say if he wanted to come home with him. None of the hybrids get a word if they even want to be adopted. But they had to be happy. Adoption meant that a human wanted them. If hybrids got taken in it meant they didn’t have to wonder in the wild alone.

It was all a good thing.

“Taeyong?” He snapped his head up as Sicheng’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

Sicheng pulled away his bowl a little to the side. His ears were shyly pressed against his head. “Um, could I bath?” His hands wrung his napkin. There were little speaks of gray dust in his sleek black hair from hiding behind the bookshelf.

He brought a hand to his plush bottom lip. Sicheng tilted his head, probably wondering if he said that correctly.

Taeyong stood up abruptly, turning his head towards the direction of the bathroom so his blush wouldn’t be on display. “Of course!” He nervously laughed and rushed away from the dinner table.

He quickly walked to the closet next to the bathroom and pulled out a towel. He paused. How many towels does Sicheng needed? Taeyong yanked out a couple more towels and walked into the bathroom.

When he looked up to call Sicheng in, he almost screamed in surprise. He stood right behind him, peering over his shoulder into the shower.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Sicheng jumped back. His cheeks looked as warm as Taeyong’s felt. 

Taeyong looked back into the shower, willing away the urge to press a hand to his chest. Maybe he should have gotten a bell on that collar.

He swallowed and turned back with a smile on his face. “It’s fine. Just…just tell me when youre in the room with me, ok?” Sicheng nodded firmly. “Alright. So the knob on the right turns on the cold water and the one on the left turns on the hot.” Taeyong pointed to each one as he said so. “And you pull here for the shower to come on.”

He nodded more to himself and reached over to one of the cabinets to pull out the plastic holders that held the shampoos and soaps. Taeyong felt a little proud looking at the color categorized products. He glanced at Sicheng, a little eager to show off when he almost dropped the whole thing.

His shirt and pants were pooled by his feet, leaving him naked. His limbs were slender and elegant, laced with the touch of muscle. Taeyong gawked as he stared at how smooth his skin looked. There was a gentle hint of pink in his cheeks and on his flushed back.

The thought jerked him from his thoughts and he looked away in shame. Taeyong’s throat felt uncomfortably dry.

“Well!” he said loudly. He thought Sicheng looked at him. Maybe. He was making a point of looking the other way. “I’ll leave you alone.”

Taeyong left the plastic bin on the counter and hurried to walk past him. He never knew how difficult it was not to look further down at someone’s crotch when they were naked. Oh god, he wanted to scream.

Sicheng made a noise that stopped him in his tracks. “Could help me?”

“Pardon?” He stared. He couldn’t have heard that right.

Sicheng motioned to the bath. “Everyone help me. You help please?” He looked so soft just standing there. The bathroom’s ugly yellow light drew attention his skin, somehow making him give off a pretty glow. It made Taeyong wonder how smooth he would feel under his callused fingertips. Sicheng blinked up at him with big eyes, almost purposely seeming to look around shyly. Taeyong squared his shoulders.

“Do- do you really need help? You’re kinda big to need my help.”

Sicheng pouted and Taeyong almost whimpered.

“Do you want bubbles?”

A few minutes later and Sicheng was soaking in warm water, bubbles snuggly covering his smooth chest.

Taeyong begrudgingly kneeled next to the tub, a bucket of clear water next to him. His hands were soapy on Sicheng head. Sicheng sang under his breath, oddly very natural in this setting. 

Taeyong listened to him sing as his fingertips gently scrubbed his scalp. He had a nice voice. Maybe in another life he could have been a singer. He paused, listening to him mumble some words. It didn’t sound like Korean at all.

He lightly used his nails to scratch behind his ears, careful not to get any water in them.

“Tell me if I hurt you, ok?”

“Mhm…” Sicheng picked up a handful of bubbles and dropped them back into the water. The bubbles did help. Taeyong couldn’t see anything below his stomach.

Taeyong reached for the old cup floating in the bucket’s surface and filled it with water. “Tilt your head back,” he said.

Sicheng complied perfectly, showing off his pretty neck while doing so. Taeyong’s mind went blank and dumped the cup on him.

“Shit!” Taeyong cursed. Sicheng gasped and shook his head. Taeyong blocked his face from the onslaught of soap and water. It didn’t help much. “Ok.” He picked up the edge of his shirt to dry his face. “I deserved that.”

Sicheng took one look at him and laughed. “I’m glad you’re laughing.” Taeyong grinned, trying again with the cup of water, this time slower.

After his hair was free of shampoo, Taeyong grabbed a new sponge and smothered it with soap. He hesitated for a second, but Sicheng didn’t tell him to stop, so he timidly placed it on his back and started to wash him. Sicheng’s tail resurfaced from under the bubbles and swayed.

“Tell me if I hurt you, ok?” he repeated.

Sicheng hummed in confirmation and cupped another handful of shiny bubbles. He blow them out of his hands and giggled, watching them dance in the air before they fell back down. Taeyong felt himself smile and finished up his back and neck.

The smile disappeared once he realized he had to wash Sicheng’s chest. He glanced at his face, but at no hint of discomfort, Taeyong steeled himself and went ahead quickly did it.

He’s blushing because of the humidity. It’s burning up in the bathroom.

Taeyong switched for one of Sicheng’s arm. He could do this. It was just body parts attached to a very cute person. He’s fine with this.

Next arm.

Yup, nothing interesting about a shoulder or the crook of an arm.

Taeyong almost wept when he finished but he glanced at Sicheng’s lap hidden by bubbles. “Oh,” he whispered.

Sicheng tilted his head towards him at the sound. “Oh?” he mirrored back.

Taeyong tried not to choke. “Umm… Could you finish up? I need to…to get your clothes.” Sicheng looked at the sponge in his hand and wrinkled his nose. It was too adorable but Taeyong kept himself strong.

“Ok, Taeyong.” Sicheng took the sponge in hand and stared at it. Taeyong stood up, his back creaking in protest. He could figure it out.

“The towels are there when you’re done.” He made sure to point at the counter before retreating.

Taeyong took two steps before running to Sicheng’s room.

The bedroom was dark because of the closed curtains. Piles of the new clothes were washed and folded on the bed, causing the room to smell of laundry detergent, faint like lavender and the hint of the febreze he always sprayed in the apartment.

He stared at the darkened bedroom and put his hands in his face. Why was his heart racing so much? Taeyong dragged his hands down his face. Whatever it was… He grabbed a pair of pale blue pajamas off the bed.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Taeyong uttered in the darkness. He turned back to get Sicheng ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the bath scene made me giggle a lot lol i loved it

**Author's Note:**

> im not sure how many chapters this will have, but i really hope to finish this. so any feed back will really keep me going. the taewin tag has been so dry lately...
> 
> tags will be updated with chapters and the rating will change too ;)
> 
> kudos and comments help me write faster <3


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